Timing device



July 21, 1936- J. w. RACKLYEFT TIMING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25, 1952 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR (JOHN W RACKLYEFT July 21, 1936- J. w. RACKLYEFTTIMING DEVICE Fil ed Aug. 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR doH/v WRACKLYEF T TTORNEY Patented July 21,, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICETIMING DEVICE John W. Backlyeit, Cleveland, Ohio Application August 23,1932, Serial No. 630,021

6 Claims. (Cl. 192-142) This invention relates to timing devices, and inparticular devices for the control of washing machines and otherappliances in which it is desirable to operate the appliance overvarious predetermined time intervals.

One 01' the objects of this invention is to provide a simple andinexpensive timing device for the control of washing machines and otherappliances. A further object of this invention is to provide a timingdevice for motor driven appliances, in which the timer may be set to an"ofl, and on, or a motor running position, and at third position inwhich the motor willoperate for a predetermined selected period of time.whereupon it is automatically stopped by the timer.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of partshereinafter described and illustrated in some of its embodiments in theaccompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is an enlarged plan view of the gear mechanism of a washingmachine with certain of the parts broken away for convenience ofiilustratlon. of the washing machine frame and mechanism taken on line2-2, Figure 7. Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3,Figure 2. Figure 4 is an enlarged plan view of the timing mechanismshown in Figure 2. Figure 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of theindicating dial 0! the timer. Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional viewtaken on line 66, Figure 2, of the timer driving mechanism. Figure 7 isa side elevational view of a washing machine illustrating one mode ofpracticing my invention.

For the sake of illustration, I have shown my timer in connection withthe washing machine of the agitator type, comprising a washing tub I, inwhich there is provided a vertically oscillatable dasher or agitator 2.The agitator is driven by means 01 an electric motor 3 through suitablegearing which will be described in detail present- The operation of theagitator'is controlled by means of a control lever 4. The duration oftime which the machine runs is under control of a manually adjustableindicating dial 5, which is located at a convenient point in the frame 6ot the machine. The operating mechanism of the machine comprises a wormI and a worm gear 8. These gearsare housed within a suit:

. turn, is driven by the electric motor 3.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view able gear case 9 which is providedwith a cover it. The worm gear is rigidly secured to a driving shaft ii,upon which is secured a pulley i2.

The pulley i2 is engaged by a belt l3, which in The 5 worm gear 8 isarranged to provide a bearing for a pin i4, which is fixedly secured toone end of a connecting rod I5. At the opposite end of the rod IS, acorresponding pin it. is secured. The pin i6 is journaled in areciprocating rack bar l0 H, which engages with a pinion i 8. The pinioni8 is rigidly secured to a shaft iii, to which the agitator 2 is securedand thereby driven, when the motor 3 is running and the parts are in theposition shown in Figure 1. g 15 The worm gear 8 meshes with a gear 20,which is provided for driving a wringer (not shown). The teeth of themutilated pinion gear 2i, engage with the rack teeth 22 of the laterallymovable rack bar bearing member 23. The control lever 4 is operablyconnected to the pinion 2| to shift the rack bar into and out ofengagement with the pinion i8, for the purpose of connecting anddisconnecting the agitator 2 from its dri ing mechanism. 25

The connecting rod I5 is provided with an upstanding lug 24 to drive astar gear 25, which is carried upon the end of a shaft 26. The shaft 26is journaled at one end in a housing member 21, which is secured to thecover iii of the gear case 9. Upon the rotation of the worm gear I, thelug 24 will advance the star gear one tooth for each revolution of theworm gear. The other end of the shaft 25 is journaled in a bearing 5!and is provided at its extreme end with a cam or eccentric portion 28.The eccentric 28 is fitted into a suitable opening 28, provided by apawl 30. This pawl may be conveniently formed from a stamping, and it isprovided with an inturned side 3|, the upper end of which engages withthe teeth of the gear 32.

The pawl is slidably received in a guide way, which is provided by theintumed lips 33 of the frame 34. A spring 35 holds the pawl in contactwith the eccentric 28, and the gear 32. A second pawl 36, is journaledon a pin 31 which is carried by the housing 34. A spring 38 holds thepawl 36 in contact with the gear 32. The gear 22 has a portion 39 fromwhich several 0! the gear teeth have been removed so that when the gearis in the position shown in Figure 3, the operation of the pawl 30 willnot eii'ect its rotation. The gear 32 may be formed with ratchet teethif desired, instead of the conventional gear teeth shown.

The pawl 36 is provided for the purpose of preventing the reversemovement of the gear, and it has two fingers 40 and 4|, which fit in thespaces between the gear teeth. The use of the two fingers isnecessitated by reason of the removal of the gear teeth from the space39, for if none of the gear teeth were removed, a single finger on thepawl 36 would sufflce for this purpose.

A block or lug 42 is carried by and near the outer edge of the gear 32for the purpose of shifting the operating member 43 of a switch 44. Theswitch 44 is normally maintained in the position shown in full lines ofFigure 3, by means of a spring (not shown). In this position, which isthe closed position of the switch, the electric motor 3 is connected toa source of electrical current supply. The dotted line position for theswitch, as shown in Figure 3, corresponds to the open position of theswitch in which the motor is disconnected from the source of electricalcurrent supply. The electric cord from the switch for making connectionwith the electrical current supply line is indicated by the numeral 45.The electric cord between the switch and the motor is indicated by thenumeral 46.

The gear 32 is provided with a boss 41 for, receiving a shaft 48, whichis held in position thereat by means of a set screw 48. The indicatingdial or knob 5 is secured to the outer end of the shaft 48. This dial isprovided with suitable graduations to indicate the approximate timeinterval the motor will operate when the dial is set with suchgraduation opposite to the arrow 50. The dial is also marked to indicatethe off and on positions of the motor.

When the indicating dial is in the oif position, the parts of the timingdevice are in the position shown in the dotted lines of Figure 3, andthe switch 44 is in its open position. When the dial is in the onposition, the parts of the timing device occupy the full line positionillustrated by Figure 3, in which the motor switch is in the closedposition and the motor is connected to a source of electrical currentsupply.

When the device is in the position illustrated by the full lines inFigure 3, the gear 32 will not be driven, by reason of the fact that thepawl 3| is operating in the portion 39 of the gear from which the gearteeth have been removed. If it is desired to operate the washing machineover a given length of time, the indicating dial is turnedcounter-clockwise direction to the time desired, and the timing devicethen commences to operate, and runs for the period for which it has beenset.

The fingers 40 and 4| of the holding pawl engage the gear teeth at anangle so that the gear may be manually rotated in a counterclocbwisedirection as viewed in Figure 3 against the action of the holding pawl.The indicating dial 5 provides a convenient means for manipulating thedevice in the aforesaid manner. The lug 42 is arranged with respect tothe toothless portion of the gear and the switch operating member 43 sothat the switch is opened by the action of the pawl 3| Just before thetoothless portion of the gear is brought into registry with this pawl.The indicating dial and the gear 32 may then be moved a slight amount tobring the toothless part of the gear into registry with the pawl II andwhile this operation is being performed the lug is moved out of contactwith the switch operating member and the switch then snaps to its closedposition connecting the motor of the machine to a source of electricalcurrent supply. whereupon the pawl 3| merely reciprocates into thetoothless part of the gear and does not efl'ect rotation of the gear.32.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that this 5 device readily lendsitself for use in washing machines and other appliances in which it isadvantageous to automatically control the operation of the mechanismover a given length of time. By reason of the cutting away of some ofthe gear teeth, the appliance may also be used when it is not desired totime its operation.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular forms ofapparatus shown and described and the particular procedure set forth arepresented for purposes of illustration and explanation and that variousmodifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made withoutdeparting from my invention as described in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a power operated machine having a driving motor and areciprocating member connected to the motor by a motion-convertingspeed-re- 25 ducing power transmission, the combination with a timingdevice comprising a switch for the m0- tor, and manually settable meanscomprising a mutilated gear, a pawl for driving said gear throughvarious selected angles of less than three hundred and sixty degrees,said pawl being ineffective for driving said gear when registering withthe toothless portion thereof, a driving connection between thereciprocating member of said machine and said pawl, a member carried bysaid a gear for operating said switch, and a manually adjustableindicating dial for setting said means to operate said switch after apredetermined selected time interval.

2. The combination with an electric motor operated mechanism, of anautomatic timer therefor driven by the motor for stopping the mechanismafter it has been operated a predetermined number of times; said timercomprising a motor control switch for effecting the aforesaid operationof stopping the mechanism and manually settable and power operatedactuating means for said switch, said power operated actuating meansincluding a single control member and a disconnectible drivingconnection with the motor whereby at the will of the operator asdetermined by the adjustment of the control member the motor may beoperated either under control of the automatic timer or independentlythereof.

3. The combination with a motor operated mechanism, of an automatictimer therefor driven by the motor for stopping the mechanism after ithas been operated a predetermined number of times; said timer comprisinga control device for eifecting the aforesaid operation of stopping themechanism and manually settable and power operated actuating means forsaid control device, said power operated actuating means including asingle control member and a disconnectible driving connection with themotor comprising a pawl and a mutilated gear whereby at the will 01. theoperator as determined by the adJus-tment of the control member themotor may be operated either under control of the automatic timer orindependently thereof.

4. The combination with a motor operated mechanism, of an automatictimer therefor driven by the motor for stopping the mechanism after ithas been operated a predetermined number of times; said timer comprisinga control device for effecting the aforesaid operation oi stopping themechanism and manually settable and power operated actuating means forsaid control device said power operated actuating means including asingle control member and a disconnectible driving connection with themotor comprising a mutilated gear and a driving pawl for engagingsuccessively the teeth of said gear in driving the same and a retainingpawl for preventing at all times backward movement 01 said gear wherebyat the will of the operator as determined by the adjustment oi thecontrol member the motor may be operated either under control of theautomatic timer or independently thereof.

5. The combination with a motor operated mechanism, of an automatictimer therefor driven by the motor for stopping the mechanism after ithas been operated a predetermined number oi times; said timer comprisinga control device for effecting the aforesaid operation of stopping themechanism and manually settable and power operated actuating meansi'orsaid control device, said actuating means including an indicator anda disconnectible driving connection with the motor whereby at the willof the operator as determined by the adjustment of the indicator themotor may be operated either under control of the automatic timer orindependently thereof.

6. In a power operated machine having a driving motor and a drivenmechanism operatively connected to the motor, a switch for-the motor anda timing device comprising manually settabie means including a mutilatedgear, a pawl for driving said gear through various selected angles of 10less than three hundred and sixty degrees. said pawl being ineffectivefor driving said gear when registering with the toothless portionthereof, a driving connection between the driven mechanism and saidpawl, a member carried by said gear for 15 operating said switch and amanually adjustable indicating dial ior actuating said switch with saidpawl in its ineffective driving position for operating the motorindependently oi the timing device,

said indicating dial being also effective for set- 2 .ting said means toautomatically operate said switch to stop the motor after apredetermined selected time interval.

JOHN W. RACKLYEFT.

